Facilities

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT FACILITIES - PAGE 4

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commission agreed Thursday to hold a public hearing Jan. 6 on a second impact fee that is being considered for the county. The hearing will be held during the commissioners' regular meeting in the Jefferson County Courthouse, although no time has been set. Impact fees are fees collected from home builders to help pay for increased public services demanded by population growth. The commissioners passed a school impact fee, which requires home builders to pay the county $7,122 for each home they build, $5,562 for every town house or duplex constructed and $4,040 for every multi-family dwelling built.

Holly Place and Holly Place North, two assisted living facilities that have served indigent senior citizens in Hagerstown for the past 18 years, are facing financial trouble again. County Administrator Rod Shoop is correct when he says that it is not county government's responsibility to take on a burden the state has dropped. But someone in local government has to work on a long-term solution for this necessary facility. Why? Because in addition to serving a local need, the Holly Place facility actually saves the government money.

Bid for school renovations approved The Washington County Board of Education on Tuesday approved 7-0 the Chambersburg, Pa.-based construction company Brechbill and Helman's $10,236,800 low bid to renovate and build onto Salem Avenue Elementary School, with work to begin in mid-August. Dennis McGee, the school system's director of facilities management, said the project price is within the school system's Capital Improvement Plan budget. He said Brechbill and Helman submitted the low bid of $9,548,400 to renovate the 46,529-square-foot building and to add 27,603 square feet to the facility.

The new Letterkenny Army Reserve Center in Chambersburg offers state-of-the-art training facilities and saves billions of dollars by consolidating three obsolete centers into one, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster said Wednesday. During the reserve center's grand opening ceremony and open house, Shuster, R-Pa., applauded Letterkenny Army Depot's use of consolidation to save money. “This is a consolidation of three different reserve units (Chambersburg, Gettysburg and Greencastle) and will save the taxpayers money and that's extremely important that we do that,” Shuster said.

GREENCASTLE, PA. - After 13 months of construction, Antrim Way Honda in Greencastle officially celebrated the opening of 36,000 square feet of new facilities Friday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new facilities, which include a cafe, shopping area, showroom, service area, children's play area, retail parts store, office space, delivery center, putting green and walking track, opened Jan. 7, according to Cherie Weaver, marketing director for Antrim Way Honda. "We were very much out of space," Jess Green, customer relations manager at Antrim Way Honda, said as to why the dealership needed the new facilities.

HAGERSTOWN - One day after being appointed acting commissioner of Maryland's Division of Correction, John Rowley acknowledged there are problems at some of Maryland's correctional facilities. He also pledged his commitment to fixing those problems. Rowley succeeds Frank C. Sizer, who announced his retirement Wednesday. "We have a lot of strong facilities out there," he said. "And some facilities that are problematic with some of the issues that are going on out there.

martinsburg@herald-mail.com MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The Berkeley County Commission on Thursday approved adding a proposed recreation department levy to the May 11 primary election ballot after Parks & Recreation officials allocated more money toward improving park facilities and less toward operating costs. Voters will decide whether they want to pay an additional tax that, officials with Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks & Recreation said, will help with the upkeep and expansion of county facilities.

cailinm@herald-mail.com With most students not due back until fall, area colleges and universities are catering to a different crowd, offering to rent facilities to local and regional groups for camps and conferences this summer. Kathy Lehman, director of conferences and special events at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., said the college supplements its smaller summer session by renting out facilities to mainly nonprofit groups from mid-June to mid-August. Over the summer, 25 groups will fill every available week, Lehman said.

Soccer wishes interfere with equestrian plans By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Washington County soccer supporters want Hagerstown officials to build eight soccer fields at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds, but doing so would affect plans for other recreational facilities, officials said during a Tuesday night City Council work session. Eight soccer fields would take up room planned for an equestrian center and four softball fields, said Doug Stull, the city's public works manager.